Unitarian Universalist hosts special blessing of the animals

Jill Sweet reads a story about her service animal Moses to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs during the blessing of the animals Sunday morning.
(ERIC JENKS/photos@saratogian.com)

Stout, owned by Brent and Linda Wilkes, checks out the camera at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs during the blessing of the animals Sunday morning.
(ERIC JENKS/photos@saratogian.com)

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs was packed with people and their four-legged, furry friends Sunday morning for the annual Blessings of Animals.

Nedra Stimpfie, a member of the church's board of trustees, said it has held the service for five years.

"It's always a very well-attended service. It is an opportunity for people to share their love for their animals, learn something and remember," Stimpfie said.

Linda Wilkes, a member of the church who offered the opening words, said the focus of the service is different every year.

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Wilkes said the congregation was inspired by the New York Times article, "Deciding When a Pet Has Suffered Enough" by Jessica Pierce, a bioethicist and the author of "The Last Walk: Reflections on Our Pets at the End of Their Lives."

The article probes the culture of American pet keeping, the decision to euthanize a pet and deciphering pain in an animal, both physical and psychological.

Clement specializes in alternative treatments rather than invasive procedures or the long-term use of medications that can have troubling side effects for pets and humans. Treatments include chiropractic services and therapies such as platelet rich plasma and pulse wave, as well as adult stem cell therapy.

Adult stem cell therapy is a process involving the removal of stem cells from an animal and then injecting them back into the same animal near the problem area, where the cells take on self-renewing properties and can become different cells. Clement said he has witnessed 85 to 95 percent of his clients respond positively to adult stem cell therapy since he was certified to do the procedure in 2008.

These varieties of treatment are popular ailments for osteoarthritis, tendon and ligament injuries and animals suffering from mobility issues.

Clement said his experience with alternative treatments demonstrates the incredible power that pets -- and humans -- have to restore themselves.

The veterinarian played a short video during his lecture that began with a clip of Maggie, a 7-year-old poodle immobilized by osteoarthritis to the point that she could barely take one step without toppling over. At 30 days, Maggie was doing a stiff crab walk up and down the hallway, and by 90 days she was practically galloping down the hallway, a feat that elicited applause from the audience.

Nearing the end of the service, the names of departed pets were read and their owners moved to the front of the church to light candles in remembrance.

"We give people a chance to express their feelings about their pets -- this is a place where people get it," Wilkes said, as her two little dogs, Guinness and Stout, danced around her feet.